This invention is an emergency gasoline motor fuel which can be safely stored for long periods in a conveyance for use in the emergency situation when the regular fuel supply is depleted. It also covers the means of storing said fuel in a container having specific features.
The problem of "running out of gas" is as old as the use of gasoline in powering vehicles such as automobiles and boats. It has been a long-existing problem and here-to-fore no one has come up with a safe and practical answer. The reason this problem has defied solution is that gasoline normally contains some butane and pentane giving the gasoline a flash point of minus 40.degree. to minus 50.degree. F. The butane and pentane are necessary so that a cold motor can be readily started. This means that any spill of gasoline will quickly vaporize to form potentially explosive fumes which can be ignited by a spark or flame. As a result, it is extremely dangerous to store or transport gasoline in a container in a car or other conveyance. Indeed, many states have laws making it illegal to store a container of gasoline in the trunk of an automobile. This emergency fuel however, contains no butane or pentane and, therefore, can be safely stored in an automobile or other conveyance. It is also stable and will not degrade over long periods of storage of a year or more.
Most of the prior art of which the applicants are aware have been directed to improving the combustibility of gasoline for quicker starts and faster acceleration, enabling a fuel to be used at lower temperatures, and improving the octane rating. This has been accomplished by addition of alcohols, ketones and ethers to gasoline and petroleum fuel products. The following patents are directed to these goals:
______________________________________ Inventor(s) U.S. Pat. No. ______________________________________ Dinsmore 1,331,054 Hayes 1,361,153 Van Schaack, Jr. 1,907,309 Savage 2,088,000 Savage 2,106,661 Savage 2,106,662 Schneider et al 2,176,747 Hori et al 3,697,240 ______________________________________
These references are not for use of a substitute fuel for internal combustion engines which is safe for storage in a vehicle.
The only prior art for an emergency fuel of which the applicants are aware is a product that was temporarily marketed by Cristy Corporation, Fitchburg, Mass. under the name "RESCUE.RTM." in the 1970s. The product was later offered by Snap Products, Durham, N.C. The product is no longer marketed and apparently was not commercially viable because it was difficult to start an engine using the product and the exhaust was smoky and had an offensive odor. Furthermore, the container in which "RESCUE.RTM." was marketed did not have a spout but required the use of an auxiliary funnel to pour the product in to a gas tank.
Thus, there is a need for an emergency fuel which is safe, operates efficiently in an internal combustion engine and which is in a container which can be used without additional components.